


Bright

by raelee514



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Season 2, Season 3, bethyl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-16 15:58:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8108536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raelee514/pseuds/raelee514
Summary: Daryl wonders if she’s real.





	1. Daryl POV Season 2

Daryl hates the room. He hates the bed. He hates that it hurts to move an inch. His body aches, the arrow wound stings and his head is pounding. He wants out. Needs out. He wants the sky and the ground, he wants his crossbow. He wants to head right back out there and find Sophia. The doll is haunting him. He’d found her doll, and maybe if the horse hadn’t thrown him when the snake rattled he might have found her. Now the trail is in danger of getting cold. Colder. He shook his head. He wasn’t going there, the girl was out there. He has to find her. He has to find her. He has to find her. 

The door creaks open, pulling him from his thoughts and he immediately shifts so his back isn’t exposed. That is another thing he needs, a damn shirt, he feels too vulnerable.

“Brought you a sandwich and some water,” a soft voice says. 

Daryl looks up to see the younger daughter. Pretty little blonde thing. She feels out of place in the world to him. Innocent and naive. He is reminded of Sophia and something shudders up his spine. 

“Thanks,” he mumbles. 

“Daddy wanted me to change your bandages too.”

He tenses up, he don’t want her to see his back. Herschel should do it, or that woman. “It don’t.”

“It probably does, or Daddy wouldn’t have sent me.”

“Get him then.”

She rolls her eyes. “He’s busy, farm to run and all. So he asked me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Then quit yakking and do it.”

She steps closer then and puts the food tray down on the stand by the bed. Then her hands go to drawer where all the bandages and things have been put away. She pulls out the gauze and the tape, and a tube of antibiotic cream. Daryl hates that, he’s using up stuff best used on other people — but then he thinks of Sophia again and this might get him back out there quicker. 

“I need you to get off your back, to your side.”

Shit. He takes breath and forces himself to and tries to blank out so he won’t hear her reaction to the scars, so he won’t feel the pity and assumptions. He isn’t sure he’s accomplishing it but he feels braced for it. 

“Nice tattoos… are they demons?”

Daryl blinks. Her touch is light, though it hurts a bit as she pulls the old bandages off his wounds. “Yeah.”

“That’s cool,” she says her voice shining with the belief.

Daryl wonders if she’s real. It’s the happiness that he hears. She’s young. But it’s more than that and that is what gives him pause. How she’s not reacting to the scars. It throws him but he’s grateful as hell so he won’t dwell on it. It’s a change. A nice one. He saw Herschel’s face when he saw them, not that he could read the man’s expression. He saw the pity the other woman’s eyes, the usual reaction which always makes him angry.

“Maggie wanted to get a tattoo once, but she needed Daddy’s permission. There was this big fight. I always thought she’d get it when she was old enough to, but she never did. I guess she was just rebelling. Guess no one can get any now…”

“Yeah,” he mumbles, then wonders why he answered her. 

“Are you her uncle?”

“What? Who?” he nearly turns to look at her in confusion.

“The little girl, you seem the most intent on finding her… You can go on your back now, gotta get the one in front.”

He quickly moves to his back. She may have kept quiet, but it’s relief to hide the scars anyway, he hates feeling exposed. “No.”

“Oh…. Then it’s real good you care so much, her mother’s grateful. I see it in her eyes.”

He grunts not knowing what to say.

“I think you’ll find her.”

“You do?”

“Don’t you?”

“Wouldn’t be looking if I thought I wouldn’t.”

“It’s important. To look.”

He nods. 

“All done.” 

He feels her light touch pushing the tape to his skin. 

“It’s starting to look better. You need aspirin?”

He almost grunts a no at her, but his head hurts and the wound is throbbing, and itching in that way that means it is healing. “Yeah.”

“I’ll go get it. Eat.” She points to the sandwich. 

“What’s your name?” he asks before realizing he wants to.

“Beth.”

“Daryl.”

“I know.” She smiles. “Be right back.”

“Yeah, okay.”

~

Few days later he was out of the bed. But still frustrated. Things kept getting in the way of searching. Rick didn’t want anyone going along but he never seemed to get himself out there looking for her. 

Leaning against a tree he watches as Rick tries to talk with Herschel. He ain’t sure what’s going on there but he gets the feeling its about Herschel wanting them gone. Old man doesn’t like the guns and probably ain’t too happy about his friends death. 

Daryl searches out Shane and sees him restlessly walking in circles. Daryl gets the restless but there is something angry about the set of Shane’s shoulders. It was always there, since Daryl met him but it is worse now and growing. 

He hurts still from the barn and he feels guilt curling in his stomach about calling Carol a bitch. It was her doubt. It was one thing, Shane trying to get them all to admit to something ugly about Sophia. Shane’s a cop, he’s cynical and he only actually cares about two people in the group — maybe three if its a good day. But Carol expressing doubt about her own kid, her daughter, HER kid.

It’d hit him wrong. He sticks his hands in his pocket and pulls out his last cigarette. Hopes he’ll find more but he needs to relax. He pulls out his lighter and lights it up. 

“You’re bleeding.”

He jumps at the sound of her voice, he turns and stares at her. “Where you come from.”

“The house,” she says with a bit of sass in her voice.

Daryl grunts.

Her hands reach out and touch he hem his sleeveless tank.

He tenses and steps back, hands out to stop her. “What the hell, girl?”

“You’re bleeding.”

He looks down and sees the bright red on his shirt, fresh blood. “Ain’t nothing.”

“We got you all healed up, not going to let it get worse now.” 

“Whatever.”

“Let me see if you busted your stitches.”

“No.”

She sighs. 

Daryl goes back to his cigarette thinking the conversation done but after a few puffs he can’t ignore the fact she hasn’t budged. He glances at her and she’s standing there just watching him and odd expression in her eyes. 

“Git,” he barks.

“No.”

He stares at her, going for his most intimidating and straightens out a bit to his full height. He’s got over five inches on her thinks, she’s tiny thing and too pretty for this damn world. 

“I’m not leaving until you let me look.”

“Be standing here all night then.”

“Fine.”

He grunts and leans back against the tree, intent on ignoring her. To his irritation she moves closer to him and leans herself against the tree. He shifts on his feet but he ain’t moving, girl probably follow him anyway. 

“Why all the demons and the devil?”

“What?”

“Your tattoos. Why demons and the devil?”

He shrugs.

“Can’t decide if they suit you or not.”

“Why that matter?”

“Something to do to pass the time.”

He snorts. 

“If you want to keep looking for her, you need to heal right, right?” 

“Fine. Make it quick.”

Her hands on his shirt again and she lifts it up and away from his wounds. She tilts her head looking and then bites her lower lip. “They don’t look busted. Going to go get the antibiotic cream though and some stuff to wash off the blood. Just to be safe… Okay?”

He just grunts. Then he’s watching her sprint away toward her house. Blonde pony tail bobbing behind her, long legs getting her to the house quickly. He squints his eyes and thinks she’s too bright. 

~

_Beth, she’s in some sort of catatonic shock._

Lori’s been gone a full a ten minutes when that really hits him. Beth. Sunshine girl. He frowns. Flashes of Sophia walking out of the barn and Carol’s screaming sobs and how she pulled at him when he tried to hold her back, how his only thought was to keep Carol from seeing Sophia, from having to watch Rick take her down. 

Not her. No it wasn’t Sophia, not no more. It was a creature, a deadly real life monster. That kid turned on their watch, his watch, he hadn’t tracked her time he hadn’t gotten to her in time to stop it. He’d been fruitlessly combing the woods and foolishly believing he could find her. 

Stupid. 

Beth’s mother and brother were that barn too, he thinks and he remembers screams after he dragged Carol away. He’d known it was Beth, he isn’t sure how and he’d tensed and almost run back but Carol let out another sob and he knew he couldn’t. 

The others saved Beth from what he heard from her mother ending her. He thought about the girl and how bright she was… it hurt his eyes. She was probably dull now, he thinks. Got it all snuffed out of her in one hard swoop. 

He wasn’t fool enough to think he was bright but felt like something been snuffed out him too. He envies the girl he thinks, shutting herself down, probably didn’t have to think if you weren’t really here anymore. 

Didn’t have to feel the pain of this ugly ass world. Daryl huffs out a breath and refocuses on his arrow. He ain’t got catatonia but he has a task to do.

~

“What was that about?” Daryl asks Andrea as she bowls by him looking frustrated from what looked to be a heated conversation with Maggie and Lori. 

“I left Beth alone to let her make her own choices.”

“Choice about what?”

“Her life… She lost her mom, her brother, and she wanted to end it. Like I did, after Amy. They took the knife away and that was wrong, she had to make her own choice. And she did.”

“How?”

“She cut her wrist, it’ll scar but looks like she chose to live to me.”

Daryl doesn’t know what to do with that information. Thinks of Beth, pretty and bright. Hasn’t seen her since the barn and hasn’t wanted too, wasn’t sure he wanted to see her with her light snuffed out. 

But this, this was hitting him, the thought of no her at all. Maybe didn’t wanna see her dimmed but didn’t want to never see her again at all. It strikes him as odd, what does he care about some girl, some teenager. 

“Good,” he finally says to Andrea cause it’s good the girl’s alive. One should be.

~

He isn’t sure why he’s standing where he is. Been a day since his conversation with Andrea. Then he ended up watching people go in and out of the room, them constantly not leaving her alone. He guesses it makes sense all, all of them worried she might try again. Maybe that’s why he’s here, he wants to know. 

But he’s afraid to step inside the room.

Maggie left, he heard her talk about making Beth food. He has a short window, he knows that so he squares his shoulders and he knocks on the open door before stepping inside. 

She’s sitting in the middle of her bed and she looks up at him with those eyes of hers. All big and blue and she’s paler than he’s ever seen her. Always been small but somehow she seems tinier. More breakable. He’s right a light’s been snuffed out but she’s breathing. 

“Why you here?” she asks. 

“Don’t know…” he says. 

“Are you okay?”

“Me?”

“You thought you find her? I thought my mom was just sick, that’d she get better, that I’ve had her back. We were both stupid.”

“There’s that.”

“I’m not going to try again.”

“Didn’t think you were.”

“Guess, I’ll have a scar now?” she says looking at her bandage wrist.

He tenses a bit remembering she knows about his. 

“I know it was a mistake, I guess if I forget it’s a reminder, right?”

Daryl blinks because as she says that he’s something in her eyes shift, something that’s not quite as bright as before but it’s something. Like she just relit something inside her. 

“Maybe… I got to go.”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Not treating me different. Everyone else is.”

“No reason not too,” he mumbles as he leaves. 

~

He’s standing where they buried Dale. Been finding himself here a lot. Can’t seem to stay away, keeps seeing the look on the older man’s face when he died. When he…. Dale was the type of man who didn’t judge people. He never looked at Daryl and saw some stereotype. He knew most people did and he did it too. He knew that. 

Dale never did. Daryl inhales and tries not to think about shooting him. The sound of light steps behind him make him tense up a bit but then Beth appears at his side. 

“Maggie told me.”

“What?”

“What happened, that he got ripped up… that you had to…”

“I did.”

“So, he wouldn’t become a monster.”

“He was a good guy.”

“I liked him. He was nice.”

“You think everyone is nice.”

“Shane isn’t.”

Daryl raises an eyebrow at that.

“Well, he isn’t.”

“No. He ain’t.”

“But Dale was… and you did the right thing. Not letting him become one. We put him to rest.”

“I guess.”

She smiles at him and he’s surprised by the light. Remembers catching a glimpse of maybe an ember when he went to see her in her room after she cut her wrist. It’s brighter now, there is a glow. 

“Goodnight,” she says before turning to walk away.

“Night, Beth,” he hears himself say. 

~

He watches Randall’s blood wash off his hand into the Greene’s kitchen sink. Thinking about the kid and what he told him. Wondering if it is the right call to kill the kid. Shane thinks it is, but Daryl doesn’t think much of Shane. Rick’s wondering though, so he’s wondering. Merle would’ve killed him already. Killed the kid dead without even a discussion. 

Protect yourself, put yourself first.

“Are you hurt?”

Daryl jumps and curses himself for getting so far into his own head he didn’t hear her coming. Not that she’s loud, she’s quiet and he turns to look at her. First time he’s seen her in days. There is a real light in her eyes again, it’s not as bright as the sun but it’s warm. 

“Are you hurt?” she asks again.

“No, no.” He looks at her. Young and beautiful. Randall’s friends. They’d destroy her, kill all that light she somehow held onto. “No. Had a little conversation with our friend in the shed.”

“Oh. Are they going to kill him?”

“Think so, maybe.”

“Is it right?”

He looks at her again and nods. “Gotta protect ourselves, his friends are bad news.”

“They’d kill us?”

“Might do worse than that,” he says and shakes his hands to dry them. “I’ll get out of your kitchen.”

“Daryl?”

“What?”

She watches him. “Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Shrugging he walks away. 

~

It all went to hell. 

He’s on his bike with Carol, thinking about how it all fell apart and how angry he is they lost that farm. After all they did to keep, after all they almost did to keep it. Daryl drives and wonders why he’s heading in the direction he’s pointed the bike. Tells himself it’s for Carol. She needs to try, she needs to find the group —

If there is a group.

Fifteen minutes later surprise rushes him as he sees their group. It rushes through him that’s he’s relieved, even before he fully sees any faces. Lori and Carol are hugging, he and Rick shake hands. Then he sees Herschel and his daughters, hugging hard, crying into each other. He can barely see Beth, she’s so small and between her dad and sister. Swallowed up in their embrace. 

He seeks out her hair though and he breathes out a breath he didn’t know he was holding just as she moves out her family’s grip and turns. They lock eyes for a brief second and she smiles at him and he finds himself smiling back.


	2. Daryl POV Season 3

He hears singing once his feet hit the ground after jumping down off the bus. He pauses for a moment realizing it’s Beth. Never heard her sing before, didn’t know she could. Her voice is bright and clear, he doesn’t know the song and he has no ear for music. He thinks it fits her, he figures she must be good, having no music to guide her.

Get’s closer he sees her start to smile the more she gets into the song, her voice gets a louder - not by much - like she’s settling into it. He wonders who asked her, someone must’ve asked her. He watches her sing, thinks the fire is kind of making her face glow. He takes a small step back but doesn’t move, caught up in listening.

“She’s good,” Carol says. 

Daryl shrugs. “It’s alright.”

~

He can’t sleep. Feels weird being in a prison of all places. Before it all went to hell he’d managed to stay far away — except the few times he visited Merle when he’d been tossed in a few months here and there on small infractions. Walls feel a bit claustrophobic, though he’s not. Tells himself it’ll just take getting used too. He rolls his shoulders and tries to get comfortable where he is on the floor. 

He hears movement a few minutes later and sits up, watches as Beth slowly climbs the stairs. She’s looking right at him and he just looks back. She continues until she’s standing right by his head. 

“What?”

“Why aren’t you in a cell, beds aren’t all that bad. Better than the floor.”

“I’m fine here.”

“You should sleep in a bed.”

“So should you.”

“I’ll go back, I just…” she looks around. “It’s weird you know, never thought I’d want to be in a prison.”

“Me neither, still don’t.”

“So, that’s why your up here then? Cause you don’t want to be in a cell?”

He shrugs and relaxes back down.

“Still… you deserve a bed, Daryl,” she says before turning around and leaving. 

She walks around a bit longer, poking her head into other cells, looking up at he walls and ceilings. He finds her movement distracting, ends up tracking her until she goes back into the cell she claimed. 

“Now a man can sleep,” he mutters

~

He finds her outside crying and swears to himself. He’s behind her, she doesn’t see him. Daryl tells himself to just turn right back around and check the perimeter here later once she’s back inside. 

“Beth?” He rolls his eyes, why the hell did he go and do that.

She startles and turns around wiping her eyes. “Maggie is so stupid.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“Sure, Daddy’s hurt and maybe…maybe… but Rick did what he had to do and Carol stopped the bleeding. Isn’t it better to hope?”

“Don’t know.”

“I think so. Why give up when there is a chance, no matter how slim?”

“Don’t know.”

She squares her shoulders. “Maggie’s wrong, it’s okay to have hopes up. To believe. Daddy would do it if it was me, or her, or anyone.”

“He might, yeah…” 

Beth nods. “I’m gonna go back now, been gone long enough. Thanks Daryl.”

“Didn’t do nothing.”

“Of course you did.” She smiles up at him and there he is thinking of sunshine again and it makes him shake his head. Beth doesn’t see him though cause she’s gone inside. 

~

Beth sits down this time after walking the stairs to his perch. He meets her gaze, inwardly shaking his head at her big blue trusting eyes. She stays quiet for awhile, toying with her bracelets, her gaze going over his head toward the barred windows. 

“It’s late,” he finally points out. 

“I know.”

“Why you up here?”

“Cause I needed to think.”

“Can’t think in your own bed?”

“No window.”

“Some of us need to sleep.”

“You can sleep with me here, slept with people closer than this all winter.”

“Hmmph,” he lets out a breathe.

“My bedroom, back on the farm, my window… I had the best view of the land, the trees. It was always so pretty and peaceful. I miss sitting at a window, you know?”

“No.”

“Daydreaming, Daryl.”

“Never done that.”

“NEVER. Not even as a kid?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She shakes her head. “You should try it.”

“What?”

“Daydreaming.”

“Wouldn’t know how.”

“It’s easy, just let your mind wander on something… no wrong way to do it.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” She smiles at him and shakes her head. “I should let you sleep, you got things to do and all… for everyone. I’m sorry.”

“Is no big deal,” he almost rolls his eyes at himself. 

“Sweet dreams.” She stands up in one smooth move and he swears she bounces away. 

“Dreams…” he scoffs and rolls his eyes now that she can’t see him. Closes his eyes and settles back, then finds himself thinking about sunshine.

~

Daryl sees her near the fence as he walking back from Carol’s grave. He doesn’t want to see her, not now, with her damn smiling face and bright eyes. He quickens his step to walk past her, his intention to blow her off. 

“Daryl?” her voice is smaller than usual and he stops short. 

“What,” he barks. 

“I’m sorry.” 

He turns and her bright eyes are cloudy and almost gray. She’s not smiling, her mouth is twisted up and sad. He feels taken aback and he doesn’t like it. And he curses at himself because he hadn’t wanted to put up with her damn light, but now he’s pissed it’s not there. 

“Daryl, really I —“

“Whatever,” he cuts her off and stalks away. 

~

_“I’ll go.”_

It impresses him. But it’s a bad idea. He doesn’t want her out there, he doesn’t want her fighting; not like the rest of them. Not her. Rick tells her she’s not going Daryl watches that bright in her eyes flare. Beth’s mad and he’s sure she’s about to start yelling, but Lil’ Asskicker starts to cry. 

She turns fast, fast as a real mother would, Daryl thinks. She takes the baby from Herschel, and starts trying to figure out why she is fussing. Daryl watches for a beat, and she looks up like she feels it and gives him a small smile.

“I guess it’s better I stay here…”

He thinks it is. 

“But she’s my sister…”

“Lil’ Asskicker needs you.”

“Maggie does too.”

Daryl shakes his head. “Need you here more.”

She looks at him with her big eyes, he can’t read her expression so he ducks his head to get away from it.

“I know you’ll bring them back.”

“Ain’t coming back without them.”

Beth nods and turns back to the baby. 

Daryl watches her with the baby for a beat before turning to leave. 

Twenty minutes later he watches her open the gate, while Carol holds the baby, she gives them all a big hopeful smile as they drive off to rescue Glenn and Maggie. 

~

He hears the baby fussing and Beth humming. He follows the sound around the corner from his cell. Looking for a distraction from what Carol told him about Merle not being good for him. Looking for a distraction from all the hard looks and the outright hate he’s getting from Glenn about Merle. 

“Let me try?” he says when reaches them, holding out his arms for the baby.

Beth tightens her grip though and steps back. “No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“What you think I’m gonna eat her or something.”

“No.” Beth rolls her eyes. 

“Then give her to me.”

“No.” Beth moves Judith to her hip and starts bouncing her. “She and I are fine.”

“This about Merle, he ain’t gonna hurt none of you.”

“This isn’t about him.” 

“Then what?”

She glares at him then, the usual light in her eyes turning fiery at him. “It’s about YOU.”

‘What I do?”

“YOU LEFT.”

“Did not.”

“Figuring out you screwed up and coming back doesn’t make up for the fact you just up and left. This prison, this family and so no you don’t get to hold Judith.” 

“That’s stupid.”

“Maybe. But it’s my call.” She turns on her heel and walks away. 

~

He doesn’t get why she’s singing. They’re jammed into a corner and she’s sitting there singing. Everyone is listening to it too — hell even Merle. Daryl glances from his brother to Beth and shakes his head. 

The comings days are gonna be hell, they all know there is a war coming. And there is that damn girl singing about hope and looking like the sun. It’s grating, it’s not the time, the place, the tension in the place isn’t that kind that should be lifted. Doesn’t she know that?

Daryl thinks he should walk away. But he stays. 

~

Daryl’s on perch, flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He can’t sleep. Lil’ Asskicker is fussing and Beth’s humming. He closes his eyes and tries to will the noise away. It’s not getting in the way of his sleep or anything, he just wants it quiet. Beth starts to sing, some nonsense song as usual and he ends up jumping to his feet. He grabs his crossbow and stalks out of C Block. 

Outside he just leans against a wall and stares up at the sky. It’s starry and beautiful and doesn’t at all reflect the ground he’s standing on. Nature just keeps going he supposes. Being all amazing and stunning while everything else goes to crap. 

He pulls out a cigarette and closes his eyes. He’s about to take his first puff when he hears footsteps. Light and soft, barely there. Beth appears by his side, she doesn’t have the baby and she leans against the wall. 

“Where’s the kid.”

“Rick woke up, wanted to take her.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep then.”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Not tired.”

“I’m sorry.”

He tenses, he doesn’t want to have this conversation with her. He’s had it with Carol, Maggie, Rick and even Glenn. He doesn’t want another half assed apology about Merle. They hated him. “Don’t need condolences.”

“Wasn’t going to give them.”

He turns to look at her and gets a bit thrown by how close her eyes are. They look impossibly big this close and way too blue. Too much like the sky. “What?”

She sighs. “I’m sorry I was so mad.. That you left. It was because you thought you couldn’t stay because of your brother. And it was a mess when he was here, he didn’t fit in, he didn’t want to fit in. But he was your brother and I should’ve… I should’ve understood that. So, I’m sorry.”

He stares at her. Half of him is sure as hell she did just give her damn condolences despite what she said, and the other half of is wondering why he’s not madder? Hell he might even feel a bit better. 

“Well, uh…”

She steps closer and hugs him then, her hair smells sweet and she feels too soft against him. He raises his arms up to her arms and touches her. He isn’t hugger, people don’t hug him, but here he is. She squeezes him once and then steps back and grins up at him. 

“I’m going to bed,” she says. “You should too, Daryl.”

“Maybe, in a bit.”

She shakes her head at him and then disappears back inside. 

He looks up at the stars again and wonders what the hell it is about that girl.


End file.
